Protestors and supporters gathered in Sheffield for an emergency demonstration against the Israeli Apartheid in a show of support with Palestine.
Chanting and drums could be heard and the view of the train station was blocked by rows of Palestinian flags being waved in the air as crowds shouted ‘Free Palestine’.
The demonstration was announced on October 9 by the Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and was advertised on social media. It is a direct response to the escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict that took place over the weekend.
The demonstration included several speakers, including Dima Alshami, a member of the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
In the centre of the crowd, she said: “We are angry, we are frustrated and we are worried for what’s to come.”
Miss Alshami, a British Palestinian who was raised in Sheffield, said:
“A lot of my family is back home (in Palestine) so sometimes I worry I am powerless but actually none of us are powerless. We all have a means of resistance and even being here today to voice and show solidarity in this way is amazing.
“As a British Palestinian, having grown up in Sheffield, I feel like my two identities overlap a lot and I really want the people of Sheffield to know what’s going on in Palestine because it’s so important.”
Another speaker, Yasim Askar, also said: “We are not for any organisation; we are just here for human rights. I’m from Bethlehem and I have family there. It is really bad for human rights, they can’t go to work and they are being treated badly and I’m very worried. They can’t go anywhere, all the borders are closed, and they are stuck.”
Miss Alshami said she was worried about when the government and the council are choosing to speak up and expressed concern over the previous silence on the Palestine-Israeli conflict despite Palestine being occupied since 1967.
Miss Alshami said: “I’m disappointed to see they haven’t at least voiced any concerns about what’s happening to Palestine given the ongoing occupation and now the genocide and civilian attacks in Gaza.”
The demonstration comes after the UK, the US, France, Germany and Italy released a joint statement stating their support for the state of Israel and The Sheffield council raised an Israeli flag over the city hall.
Miss Alshami said she was worried about when the government and the council are choosing to speak up and expressed concern over the previous silence on the Palestine-Israeli conflict despite Palestine being occupied since 1967.
They ended their protest with chants of ‘Take it down’ and ‘Palestine will be free’.